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Standard front

Cortex Front build order · Supreme Isthmus

Standard economy-first Front play: Bot Lab immediately, Advanced Metal Extractor around 9:23, then a mixed Thug/Grunt/Aggravator army sent up to defend the wider gap and move to middle as a line.

#eco #team support · 468 distinct matches · 145 players · 64% of Cortex Front games · team won 51% of 485 · Recently observed

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Bot Lab by 0:40

  1. Open 2 mex into early Bot Lab.
  2. Finish Bot Lab and start Thug, Grunt, Aggravator mix.
  3. Send first units to coast to stop leaks, not straight to mid.
  4. Transition into Advanced Metal Extractor as eco scales.
  5. Move units up as a line toward middle to hold the wider gap.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 468 GAMES
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:00 step by step: what to build now, what comes next, and where it goes. At 1× it keeps pace with your own game.

  1. 1

    Up to the Bot Lab

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor2Mex
    Order
    1. Bot LabBot Lab after 2 mexdone ~0:40, middle half 0:34–0:46

    Some games also: wind (40%)

    By 0:23 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 129 steps
    1. Mex
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Mex ×2
    4. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 1:01
    5. RascalRascal ×6
    6. Construction VehicleCon vehicle ×2
    7. PounderPounder ×2
    8. Mex
    9. PounderPounder
    10. Wind
    11. GuardGuard
    12. WolverineWolverine
    13. Mex
    14. Wind
    15. WolverineWolverine
    16. Wind
    17. WolverineWolverine
    18. Wind ×2
    19. GuardGuard
    20. Mex
    21. Wind ×2
    22. PounderPounder
    23. Wind
    24. PounderPounder
    25. GuardGuard ×2
    26. Con turret
    27. PounderPounder
    28. WolverineWolverine
    29. Wind
    30. WolverineWolverine
    31. Wind
    32. Con turret
    33. WolverineWolverine
    34. Wind
    35. PounderPounder
    36. Wind
    37. PounderPounder
    38. Wind
    39. PounderPounder
    40. Wind
    41. WolverineWolverine
    42. Con turret
    43. WolverineWolverine
    44. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:33 · typical 9:24
    45. WolverineWolverine
    46. Wind ×2
    47. PounderPounder
    48. Wind ×2
    49. PounderPounder
    50. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    51. Converter
    52. Wind
    53. PounderPounder
    54. Wind ×3
    55. WolverineWolverine
    56. Converter
    57. WolverineWolverine
    58. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    59. Wind ×2
    60. WolverineWolverine
    61. Wind ×2
    62. Converter
    63. PounderPounder
    64. Wind ×2
    65. PounderPounder
    66. Wind
    67. PounderPounder
    68. Con turret
    69. Wind
    70. Converter
    71. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    72. Wind
    73. WolverineWolverine
    74. Wind
    75. RascalRascal
    76. Wind
    77. RascalRascal
    78. Converter
    79. RascalRascal
    80. IncisorIncisor
    81. WolverineWolverine
    82. PounderPounder
    83. Wind ×4
    84. Converter
    85. Con turret
    86. Wind
    87. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 12:58
    88. Wind
    89. PounderPounder
    90. Wind ×2
    91. RascalRascal
    92. Converter
    93. RascalRascal ×2
    94. Wind
    95. RascalRascal
    96. Wind
    97. RascalRascal
    98. Wind
    99. RascalRascal
    100. Wind
    101. RascalRascal
    102. Converter
    103. RascalRascal ×2
    104. Wind
    105. RascalRascal
    106. Wind
    107. RascalRascal
    108. Con turret
    109. Wind
    110. RascalRascal
    111. Wind
    112. RascalRascal
    113. Converter
    114. RascalRascal ×2
    115. GuardGuard
    116. RascalRascal
    117. Wind
    118. RascalRascal
    119. Wind ×2
    120. RascalRascal
    121. Wind
    122. RascalRascal
    123. Wind ×2
    124. RascalRascal
    125. Converter
    126. Wind
    127. RascalRascal ×2
    128. Wind
    129. Bot LabBot Labdone 12:14 · typical 0:40
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to 5:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor4Mex
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Bot3 Con bot
    • Graverobber2 Graverobber
    Army
    • Guard2 Guard
    • Thug9 Thug
    • Aggravator5 Aggravator
    • Grunt4 Grunt

    Some games also: con turret (45%) · Radar Tower (34%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine17Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret
    • Graverobber2 Graverobber
    • Construction Bot1 Con bot
    Army
    • Guard1 Guard
    • Grunt7 Grunt
    • Thug4 Thug
    • Aggravator1 Aggravator

    Some games also: Radar Tower (43%) · energy storage (37%) · converter (36%) · Twin Guard (34%) · eat Bot Lab (37%)

    By 10:00 in all: 7 mex · 24 wind · 3 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 59 steps
    1. RascalRascal
    2. Wind
    3. GuardGuard
    4. RascalRascal ×2
    5. Wind
    6. RascalRascal
    7. GruntGrunt
    8. Wind
    9. RascalRascal
    10. GruntGrunt
    11. RascalRascal
    12. Wind
    13. GruntGrunt ×2
    14. RascalRascal
    15. GruntGrunt
    16. Wind
    17. RascalRascal
    18. GruntGrunt
    19. Wind
    20. RascalRascal
    21. GruntGrunt
    22. GuardGuard
    23. GruntGrunt
    24. RascalRascal
    25. Wind
    26. GruntGrunt
    27. RascalRascal
    28. Wind
    29. GruntGrunt
    30. RascalRascal
    31. GruntGrunt ×2
    32. RascalRascal
    33. Wind
    34. GruntGrunt
    35. RascalRascal
    36. Wind
    37. GruntGrunt
    38. RascalRascal
    39. Wind
    40. RascalRascal
    41. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    42. RascalRascal ×3
    43. Wind
    44. RascalRascal ×6
    45. Converter
    46. RascalRascal ×9
    47. Wind
    48. RascalRascal ×2
    49. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    50. Wind
    51. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    52. Wind
    53. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    54. T2 converter
    55. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    56. Converter
    57. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    58. Con turret
    59. Twin GuardTwin Guard

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is VeryCool's (31 OS, 14/10/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:17 · in 65% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:46 · in 62% of games

How it plays out

Typical game of this build, running totals by minute

Metal produced

010k20k30k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Enemy metal destroyed

02.5k5k7.5k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

05k10k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

485 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085800
3:00163410686
4:002721386336
5:003878935840
6:00512715991555
7:00643723912457
8:00778431583352
9:00923638954269
10:001091546135075
11:001273552795989
12:001458557596889
13:001691562537616
14:001913867758561
15:002086474519382
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Standard front play wins less than half its games, with losses slightly outpacing kills through the first 15 minutes.

  • + Kills reach 7200 by 15:00 despite the safer starting position.
  • + T2 constructor reached in 85% of games, solid tech follow-through.
  • − Team wins under half of games (45%), the weakest shown here.
  • − Own metal lost (9484) exceeds enemy metal destroyed (7200) by 15:00.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

VeryCool

31.1 OS · 14/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
526 metal received · 5323 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:40Middle 50%: 0:34–0:46 · n=469
Advanced Metal Extractor9:24Middle 50%: 8:19–10:44 · n=352

Played most by

iLike2Eco30games of this buildTheGeneraI27games of this buildSauceDispenser27games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildEl_Turco15games of this build